Hand Sanitizer

[Mobjack Bay]

@Susie and others - can you share your thoughts on how DIY hand sanitizer works, per this thread or others I may not have located:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/does-anyone-make-hand-sanitizer.60564/

There is no hand sanitizer to be found in my area. I looked at the ingredient list on the container of hand sanitizer I have in my car and it’s 70% ethanol with some glycerin and a few other things. In the thread I linked above, the first recipe uses aloe vera gel and 91% isopropanol, which sounds very easy.

 

[shunt2011]

On the physician on the news a short while ago said to mix 30% Aloe Vera Gel and 70% Alcohol 91% They said you could also use everclear or 151 liquor.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

On the physician on the news a short while ago said to mix 30% Aloe Vera Gel and 70% Alcohol 91% They said you could also use everclear or 151 liquor.

I guess I’m going back to the store again tomorrow. I used up all the aloe vera gel I had in the house making soap!

 

[cmzaha]

I buy the Base from Essentials by Catalina which is an aloe and alcohol-based no soap hand cleanser. https://essentialsbycatalina.com/rinse-free-hand-wash-base

 

[dibbles]

I buy the Base from Essentials by Catalina which is an aloe and alcohol-based no soap hand cleanser. https://essentialsbycatalina.com/rinse-free-hand-wash-base

Or if you don't want a whole gallon: https://www.elementsbathandbody.com/Hand-Sanitizer-Gel-Base.html
The ingredients are the same. Aren't these the same company - one for larger size quantities and one more hobbyist friendly?

 

[cmzaha]

No, they are not the same company, although it is possible EBC is the supplier.

 

[dibbles]

No, they are not the same company, although it is possible EBC is the supplier.

I always wondered. I've used products from both, and like them. I think EBC may supply some of the products for EBB. There are a few that are the same.

 

[SeaSuds]

Thank you for posting this, the shelves are empty of hand gel here too

 

[DeeAnna]

After doing some more research about what works and what doesn't, I wrote up an article that summarizes what I learned about making effective DIY hand sanitizer -- https://classicbells.com/soap/sanitizer.asp

 

[atiz]

Thank you @DeeAnna, this is super helpful.

I'm out of aloe juice at the moment. Do you think a 1% hyaluronic acid solution would work as a second ingredient? I usually quite like its consistency and how it behaves, and I somehow happen to have a ton of it, but not sure it is friendly with alcohol.

[Edit: took 3 tries to spell HA correctly.... oh well.]

 

[DeeAnna]

I don't know, @atiz. I've never worked with ... uh, yeah, however ya spell it. That stuff.

A quick google check suggests HA is highly soluble in alcohol, so it looks like it would mix up okay. I'd probably try a small test batch just to see.

 

[user 27496]

Here's an excellent article with links to recipes for hand sanitizer: https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/2/2...iy-how-to-hand-wash-cdc-alcohol-virus-illness

 

[Susie]

Thank you DeeAnna and others! The only thing I have to add is that most hospital based hand sanitizers are more typically 70-80% alcohol/volume. I feel much more comfortable with that percentage than the lower 60% advocated by all the sites. It may not be absolutely necessary, but in this instance, I would feel much more comfortable with a higher percentage. But thank you all for the links for the base for the sanitizers! You can use glycerin in a pinch if need be, but it is runnier.

Thank you for the link, Carolyn, I ordered a gallon. Hopefully before they sold out. $60 with shipping, but I can make and send some to my kids and family. Goes without saying that they are worth it.

 

[shunt2011]

I too ordered a gallon. Better safe than sorry. Especially since it seems to be in the beginning stages here. I'll share with friends and relatives.

 

[DeeAnna]

I agree there's nothing wrong with going higher with the alcohol content. I think that has been shown to kill a higher % of microbes than the 60% alcohol mixtures from what I recall from the CDC info (speaking from memory here). A higher alcohol content also builds in a safety margin to allow for some evaporation.

Safety tip -- Remember hand sanitizer is flammable! Use care in the kitchen or around sources of spark or flame.

Chefs flambe foods using 40% ABV alcohol. As we've been discussing, sanitizer is 60% or higher.

 

[Susie]

Someone, please help on math as my brain is mush after the heart surgery.

I have 91% ABV. I want 70% ABV in the hand gel. I am planning on making 16 oz to start.

Alcohol: 70/91 x 100=76.9
Non-alcohol: 100-77=23

So, if I am making 500 ml, I need:

77 x 5=385 gm 91% ABV
23 x 5=115 gm aloe vera gel (which I found 7 unopened bottles of on the dusty soap cart)

If this isn't correct, I blame only myself, as my brain isn't functioning at 100% anymore, and I sucked in math before that.

ETA: If you want to do this using commercial aloe vera gel (purchased at a major retailer), the thickener will become gum on your equipment. So, I ended up with a cloudy liquid. Good for spray bottle, but not a gel by any stretch of the imagination. (Don't be like Susie)

 

[atiz]

Someone, please help on math as my brain is mush after the heart surgery.

I have 91% ABV. I want 70% ABV in the hand gel. I am planning on making 16 oz to start.

Alcohol: 70/91 x 100=76.9
Non-alcohol: 100-77=23

So, if I am making 500 ml, I need:

77 x 5=385 gm 91% ABV
23 x 5=115 gm aloe vera gel (which I found 7 unopened bottles of on the dusty soap cart)

If this isn't correct, I blame only myself, as my brain isn't functioning at 100% anymore, and I sucked in math before that.

ETA: If you want to do this using commercial aloe vera gel (purchased at a major retailer), the thickener will become gum on your equipment. So, I ended up with a cloudy liquid. Good for spray bottle, but not a gel by any stretch of the imagination.

This seems good to me.
(Although I tend to do the calculation backwards, but it makes no difference, just easier for me: you need 500ml of 70% alcohol, that means you want 500 x 0.7 = 350 ml total alcohol in your batch. To have 350 ml alcohol, you need (350 x 100)/91 of the 91% alcohol you have, which is about 384.6 ml.)

Also, I hope you get better soon! Saw your post in the other thread, sorry to hear about everything.

 

[Susie]

Thank you! I did just round numbers up to the nearest whole number as it was too close not to. Many thanks to DeeAnna, who gives marvelous instructions that even I can follow.

 

[cj]

Someone, please help on math as my brain is mush after the heart surgery.

I have 91% ABV. I want 70% ABV in the hand gel. I am planning on making 16 oz to start.

Alcohol: 70/91 x 100=76.9
Non-alcohol: 100-77=23

So, if I am making 500 ml, I need:

77 x 5=385 gm 91% ABV
23 x 5=115 gm aloe vera gel (which I found 7 unopened bottles of on the dusty soap cart)

If this isn't correct, I blame only myself, as my brain isn't functioning at 100% anymore, and I sucked in math before that.

ETA: If you want to do this using commercial aloe vera gel (purchased at a major retailer), the thickener will become gum on your equipment. So, I ended up with a cloudy liquid. Good for spray bottle, but not a gel by any stretch of the imagination. (Don't be like Susie)

YES! HELP! This happened with my formula. Using 100% organic aloe, which is not a gel, but liquid with 91% isopropyl alcohol. When I mixed it, the aloe congealed, in an pulpy way and "hung" floating inside the alcohol in globby chunks. - any intel on how I can get it to gel and not clump up?

 

[Obsidian]

Anyone have luck actually making sanitizer? I just tried a batch 1 cup 91% rubbing alcohol to 1/2 cup aloe gel. It wouldn't mix, had to put it in a big bottle and shake the heck out if it.
The final product was water thin and so strong alchohol smelling, I don't think any amount of EO would cover it.
I ended up dumping it all. Might as well put straight alchohol in a spray bottle.